The mechanics of quicksand and all that

[PM2K]

Me again.

Great discussion all around, as I was hoping for... or rather, expecting.

Just thought I'd tweak this a tad with a look at the quicksand itself and its role... as well as its consistency, make up and its look.

First, the age old debate over peat versus clay. I really think that is a matter of taste on all sides, and I like both, truth be told.

Now, I prefer peat for the more dramatic sinks, because it looks evil, being all dark and sinister like the better Hollywood pits out on the moors and jungles... Primarily, it seems more likely the heroine would miss it, because it would blend seamlessly into the dark forest floor, and our actress would then find out too late what she is knee deep in is a deadly trap. The pure white clay of earlier MPV videos seems to telegraph "deadly trap" so much you wonder if the lady was blind not to see it - efforts to coat it with dirt notwithstanding. (I mean no offence to the pioneers of qs vid, BTW... these were from the earliest scenes, and I loved them.... I'm just spoiled now...)

The darker clay works a lot better, again, in my opinion, as it could be mistaken for a mud puddle or mud bank by a river, and again, our heroine either stumbles in without knowing, or charges head on and is already in it before she knows what is happening.

Both peat and clay react nicely to the ladies, and in different ways, adding variety to the sinks. Always appreciated.

Now, I've wondered if it were possible to "gussy up" either with leaves or something to make them "harder" to spot by the approaching victims. I understand about contaminating the pits, but would there be something which would fit the bill, not be too expensive, which could simulate leaves or not be too organic, and thus decay? Just throwing that out there.

With dry sand sinks starting to arrive, very impressive I must say, that opens another idea... does one prefer dry and sandy, or dry on top of the bog, or just wet and sloppy from the get go? I like all three, personally, but it does depend on the scene. Those with lots of struggling kind of need that wet slapping sound as the victim claws at the bog. If she's not wiggling a lot, I think dry sand works just fine. But again, that's me.

[schlamm]

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[water_bug_62208]

Me again.

YOU AGAIN! TROUBLEMAKER!

Nice follow-up to your already "disruptive" thread!

I like CLAY! I like NATURAL CLAY out in a NATURAL SETTING!

Natural clay blends nicely with the natural background. Natural clay has that dark, sinister look made for a melodramatic sinky situation. Natural clay has a thickness, tenacity, and suction that's quite impressive. Now, perhaps realistically, is such a thick, high-density media as natural clay, the damsel is unlikely to naturally be sucked under; however, in a real-life situation, she'll still sink quite deep before the point of bouyancy is reached, and the thickness, tenacity, and suction of the clay will certainly anchor and hold her in place... i.e., she can't escape without help.

I've always loved the idea of leaves scattered across quicksand or deep mud. Dried, curled leaves make the perfect natural camouflage at disguising the threat awaiting the wandering damsel. Taral Wayne's Quicksand Drawings illustrate this perfectly. Also, in a natural setting, the decaying leaves adds to the overall composition of the natural quicksand and deep mud, possibly contributing to the characteristics that make them tenacious and gives them that sucking grip.

The next best thing to thick clay is fine silt and sediment that collect together (particularly along coastal marshes, rivers, and creeks) to form a thick, gluey goo that latches onto a fair maiden and slowly draws her down to her doom. Again, even if she naturally won't be sucked under, she won't get away without help.

Now, you add the natural characteristics of natural clay, silt, and sediment in a natural setting and add the flexibility of imagination (whether through writing, drawing, or video), you now have something that the damsel is truly stuck fast in (with or without leaves, although leaves are nice) and that she'll slowly be consumed within to submersion.

And, you did touch on sand. Quicksand with real sand in it is most impressive. It seems, though to only really work well in a natural situation or in some of MPV's old pits. I know others have tried it with some success, but I've yet to see a damsel sink as deep into wet sand when compared to the real thing out in nature and what MPV has been able to achieve in the old days. True quicksand certainly exhibits the characteristics I like in clay, silt, and sediment. True quicksand seems to be on the "fine grain" side of the house such as silt and sediment... hence the reason some coastal mud flats have "quicksand like" characterisitics. Quite unique in its reaction, grip, and tenacity.

I do like the idea of real quicksand with sand, although I'm a bigger fan of mud that has silt, sediment, and/or clay. At least to me, there's something more special about a gal who says, "I'm stuck in the mud!" versus, "I'm stuck in quicksand!" "Stuck in the mud" seems to flow better (no pun intended) than "stuck in quicksand." Also, to be stuck in quicksand, most (to include the victim) will naturally assume people will sink, perhaps to their doom. However, to be stuck in the mud, most (to include the victim) will naturally look at the situation as a disgusting inconvenience until their struggles and/or time allows them to sink deep enough that they realize there's more than inconvenience they have to worry about.

Nice thread!